Filip Hrgovic predicted months ago that Moses Itauma “wound not reach the promised land” when the two met in the ring.
It was a good line. And you know that he meant it, even if most out there were going to doubt him.
Today, he turned the “line” into a promise kept, rallying from deep in the hole to stop the 21-year-old Itauma in the ninth round and claim the vacant IBF heavyweight title at London’s O2 Arena.
It was a remarkable effort from Hrgovic (21-1, 16 KO), who became the first heavyweight champion
from Croatia. The 34-year-old veteran had to take a lot of clean shots and stand up to a lot of serious punishment against Itauma, whose speed advantage was massive, but he just couldn’t seem to dent Hrgovic the way he had previous opponents.
That’s not to say Hrgovic was never rocked or hurt, but he was able to hang in there, get the fight into the second half, and test the previously untested stamina of Itauma, who had dumped a lot of energy into going for the knockout that never came.
At the end of the eighth round, Itauma looked very tired and a little bit hurt. Hrgovic had been chipping away in bits for several rounds by then, maybe not winning any of them — and he doesn’t think he won any — but having pockets of success that gave him ideas.
The start of the ninth round seemed to be the time for Hrgovic to go for it, and he did. Itauma wobbled and staggered around the ring, and had little coming back for Hrgovic, who poured on the pressure until trainer Ben Davison hopped on the apron with the white towel in hand.
Davison got a moment to reconsider when referee Howard Foster separated the fighters near the ropes, but it didn’t last. As soon as the action resumed, so did Hrgovic’s attack, and Davison’s towel flew.
It was the right decision by the trainer. His young, much-hyped fighter was beaten.
Hrgovic and Itauma had plenty of snippy moments, to put it nicely, leading up to the fight, including Itauma shoving Hrgovic from behind at the weigh-in on Friday. Hrgovic responded with a slap to the face. On fight night, Hrgovic was strong enough to bend, to put it one way, and it was Itauma who broke first.
“El Animal” gave Itauma a lot of credit for his talent in his post-fight interview, and said he just needs more experience.
“Let me ask my young friend something. Is a chin important?” Hrgovic said. “Look, chin is important. He’s an amazing fighter. I’m the present, and he’s definitely the future.
“He’s an amazing fighter, he’s one of a kind. He’s the best I’ve been in the ring with, but he needs more experience. He gassed out. I felt the pace of the fight. I knew I was losing rounds, but I knew that I had that pace in my favor. He was gassing out. He needs more experience, but he’s one of a kind.”
Hrgovic said he could see early that Itauma would tire as the fight wore on.
“From the first round, I saw he was gassing out. He started fast, but I knew he was going to gas out at some point. I knew when my chance came, I had to push, and that’s what I did.”
Itauma was stretchered out of the ring, with some suspecting that he may have also suffered an injury on top of being exhausted and beaten up. This is not to give him any “excuse,” but while Hrgovic took the obvious beating for most of the fight, Itauma was damaged, too.
It’s a rough setback for a young fighter as confident as Itauma has been in his rise to stardom, which may wind up looked back on as promoters and networks and all the other people who don’t actually have to get into the ring pushing a young fighter too fast, and too hard. And even if Hrgovic truly means that he felt Itauma was the most talented fighter he’s faced, now comes the mental test for Itauma, both from himself and from what he’s going to hear from fans, from media, from all those things it’s easy to get lost in when the going is good, and even easier when times are tough.
For Filip Hrgovic, it’s an amazing day. However “watered down” you or I might see boxing’s world titles, Filip Hrgovic can call himself heavyweight champion of the world, and it means the world to him. As it should. He’s the one who got in there and did it, who endured and persevered and realized his dream.
